Skulls and Bones: Comparing Form and Function of Vertebrate Skeletal Systems, by Jaclyn Maler Ryan

Guide Entry to 12.03.07:

This unit looks at the skeletal systems of different vertebrates (including humans) and how their bones allow for specific patterns of movement, hunting, feeding, and reproducing. It emphasizes development of academic vocabulary and content knowledge and employs hands-on activities as well as the use of visual images for instruction. It takes an interdisciplinary approach that reaches across the curriculum to meet standards in science, math, and literacy.

Students will be encouraged to make connections among the different animals they learn about, and to draw conclusions about how form relates to function in the skeletal system. Students will use the four language domains (speaking, reading, writing, and listening) as they make observations about animals and document new learning.